Eddie Murphy’s New Movie Blasted For Being Antisemitic
Critics have been stating that Eddie Murphy's new movie is antisemitic in the way it portrays the Jewish family in the movie.
Although it’s found a spot on Netflix’s Top 10 list since it premiered on the streamer a few weeks ago, Eddie Murphy’s latest comedy, You People is facing a slew of backlash for its alleged antisemitic viewpoints. The film’s gone on to draw the attention of U.S.-born British comedian David Baddiel who voiced his concerns and disdain for the movie in a tweet, which you can see below. In his post, Baddiel wrote that while the Jewish family in the film is depicted as “white, privileged and racist,” the “black family just have a stern dad” and that by the end of the film, “there’s much Jewish apologising for racism,” but he adds that there’s “none for antisemitism,” commenting that “the word” doesn’t even make its way into the script at all.
The author of Jews Don’t Count, Baddiel referenced the title of his book at the top of his tweet, stating that You People completely erases the hatred that Jewish people have faced for thousands of years and continue to face today. The Eddie Murphy-led feature centers around Jonah Hill’s Ezra Cohen, a young Jewish man who is trying to win over the Black Muslim family of his girlfriend Amira Mohammed (Lauren London). Directed by Kenya Barris from a screenplay written by him and Jonah Hill, the feature focuses its plot and comedic storyline on the cultural differences between the Cohens and Mohammeds with, as Baddiel and other critics have stated, many stereotypical jokes thrown in about both cultures.
A star-studded affair, the feature is not only led by Eddie Murphy, Lauren London, and Jonah Hill, but also boasts an ensemble made up of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long, La La Anthony, Rhea Pearlman, Sam Jay, and Molly Gordon. But even an A-list lineup can’t save You People from the pushback it’s receiving from critics around the world. Speaking to Newsweek, the founder and executive director of Jew in the City, Allison Josephs, commented on why she thought Netflix’s latest comedy was harming Jewish people.
Josephs’s Jew in the City fights to break down dangerous stereotypes surrounding Jews and believes that Eddie Murphy and the rest of the cast of You People is doing the exact opposite. In her interview, Josephs acknowledges that she’s not the only Jewish person to feel so hurt and disgusted by the feature, adding that “one of the biggest frustrations” was not having the opportunity to speak out against “some of the outrageous claims that were made.” As Josephs says, those “outrageous claims” involved “cheap” Holocaust jokes, jabs at how Jewish people attain jobs and wealth, and upsetting commentary on specific body features.
Josephs also shared her frustrations surrounding how no characters in the film raised their voices to “challenge” the damaging stereotypes thrown at Jewish people, adding that she fears that viewers may walk away from the film and believe the “falsehoods.” It’s certainly unfortunate that so many people were left upset with Netflix’s latest feature, but one thing is for sure – it won’t harm the careers of its leading cast members like Eddie Murphy or Jonah Hill, nor will it damage the reputation of its celebrated director.
For Eddie Murphy, who has certainly seen his fair share of performance-based scandals during his decades-long career in Hollywood, the star has two more projects waiting in the wings for him to jump into. Up first is the return of everyone’s favorite detective when Murphy travels back to the mean streets of Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley. He’ll also appear in an upcoming holiday comedy opposite big names including Tracee Ellis Ross and Nick Offerman in a Prime Video project titled Candy Cane Lane.
